A born adventurer, among his many feats at the turn of the 20th century Arthur Richardson planned and executed the first solo circumcycling of Australia. Hugh Richardson, Arthur's grand nephew, has republished the famous and rare account of Arthur's trip "A Remarkable Ride". Hugh spoke at the January 2018 meeting. For more on this story read Jim Fitzpatrick’s entry on Arthur at the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Richardson Reaches Katherine The West Australian Monday September 11th 1899

On Friday evening we received the following telegram from Arthur Richardson, who is engaged in an attempt to cycle round Australia, and who left Perth early in June last :

KATHERINE, September 8.
From Hall’s Creek, the last telegraph station on the West Austral- ian side, I rode across very rough, mountain- ous country to Flora Valley, then running the Regenda Creek down to Booty’s station. Here the bad country for blacks commenced with a rough piece of country to Ord River Station. I got through all right, and, spelling there for two days, I got a look at some maps of the country, for there are no roads or tracks from Ord River to the Katherine. I also got a good supply of our, beef, etc. I made a seven days’ stage “per boot” to Wave Hill, having a very rough time, running out of tucker, and living like a black- fellow. I struck Wave Hill Station all right. Mr. Cahill, the manager, made me very wel- come, and I had a good spell there.
Then, with the worst patch of country in Australia in front of me, I got a black boy to show me a short cut across the ranges to the Victoria River but he “reckoned plenty blackfel- lows all about,” and ran away, the rst night, leaving me “on my own.” I had a very rough time from constant exposure and several falls caused through travelling at night, and had very little sleep, for the blacks are very bad. I had no “ tucker“ but what I could catch, and I was fairly tired out by the time I struck the Victoria River about seven miles below the station. Here Mr. Watson, the manager, insisted on my having a good spell, absolutely refusing to let me go on.
Luckily, while I was there he had news from Wyndham that would take him to Port Darwin at once, so I travelled in with him. We were both glad of company for the blacks are bad all through here, and no one ever goes out mustering without a 9in.“colt” in his belt. The last two hundred and forty miles to the Katherine has not had any wheel traf c on it for four years, so that I could not travel much faster with my bike than Mr. Watson with the horses. We got in here this afternoon. My bike tyres are all right, and I am going strongly.
ARTHUR RICHARDSON.